Buddhist Monastery - 65th Birthday Adventure

August 30, 2014

For my 65th birthday, I planned and adventure along the Hudson River. Anne and I had explored this area a couple of times before and found ourselves finding more and more things to do there. When we go there, I try to plan a trip with lots of things to do and a lot of diversity of activities. This trip was no exception. Our last activity over the two day adventure was to visit the Chaung Yen Monastery in Kent, NY. It is the location Buddhist Association of the United States and is a place for worship, and instruction in the Buddhist beliefs. Growing up in the South, I received a steady diet of Baptist tenets. Believe me, I am no expert on the Baptists or the Buddhists. When I compare the two, my first impression is that Buddhism seems to be focused on "the way" and the Baptists focused n the "wayward".  Both sides will just have to carry on this out me. Nevertheless, it is an interesting place to visit.

When you arrive, you approach the Great Hall via the Bodhi Path, or "Path to the Awakening".  Symbolically, it  is like walking the path, or the straight and narrow, to enlightenment. Along each side of the path are statues of the Arahants or disciples of Buddha.

If you are one of those people that are as ignorant of Buddhism as I am, then I need to tell you that this is not an Arahant. When I first read about the path, I thought the literature was referring to this as an "Araphant", which I thought was some Buddhist take on an elephant. Amazing how P can change a situation. 

On each side of the path, are hue structures. One the left is a great drum. I was not asked to play it.

On the right, is an enormous bell. I was not asked to ring it.

At the front window outside the Great Buddha Hall is a large vessel for burning incense. I burn incense in the barn when I am working out there. but that does not mean that I am a Buddhist.

                     

In the Great Buddha Hall, is the largest indoor Buddha in the United States. 

                      

Circling the Buddha statue are thousands of smaller Buddha figures. 

I have to admit … I am a sucker for statues … no matter what they symbolize. I just like the looks of them. But, then i didn't come here to become a Buddhist. There were Buddhas and statues everywhere.

                   

On the hillside are two  Thousand Lotus Memorial Terrances. One contains 1050 and the other 2076 steel  niches to hold two urns of cremated remains. There are tow ceremonies a year to place remains in the niches. The day we were there several people were visiting to clean and polish the niches of their deceased and to bring offerings.

As we left the site, we stopped at the Seven Jewels Lake.  Looking over the rail into the water, we saw hundreds of huge carp gathering at the surface, expecting to be feed.

Great place to check out if you are in the area.